Bringing Guy Gilboa-Dalal and His Family to Japan

Restoring a Dream That Was Stolen on October 7

We are raising funds to bring Israeli former hostage Guy Gilboa-Dalal and his family to Japan.

Guy was abducted by Hamas on October 7, 2023, and held captive for more than 700 days. He is a young man who deeply loves anime, manga and Japanese culture, and it had long been his dream to visit Japan. That dream was stolen from him on October 7.

Now, we have an opportunity to help restore that dream from Japan and to give Guy and his family a time of rest, healing, joy and hope.

We sincerely ask for your warm support.

Guy’s Story

On October 7, 2023, many lives were taken in Israel, and around 250 people were abducted into Gaza by Hamas. One of those victims was Guy Gilboa-Dalal.

Guy was taken from the Nova Music Festival and held for more than 700 days under harsh and inhumane conditions. During his long captivity, he suffered from hunger, severe malnutrition and deep physical and emotional trauma. In October 2025, he was finally released and has now begun the difficult journey of recovery.

Even before October 7, Guy had a dream of coming to Japan.

He loved anime, manga and Japanese culture, and he had planned to visit Japan in April 2024. But that dream was taken away from him.

Now, we in Japan have the opportunity to reach out and help restore what was stolen.

Japan Remembers You

Beit Samurai has been connected with Guy’s family since the time he was still being held hostage.

In April 2025, Beit Samurai founder and director Isaku Uchiyama visited Guy’s family in Israel. In August 2025, we welcomed Guy’s father and brother to Tokyo, where they shared Guy’s story with people in Japan. Then, in April 2026, we were finally able to meet Guy himself in Israel after his release.

At that time, Guy shared the following words:

“The first thing I want to do in Japan is thank the people who supported me and my family while I was in captivity.”

Many people in Japan prayed for Guy’s release. Even those who had never met him felt close to him and kept his story in their hearts.

Now it is our turn to welcome Guy and his family to Japan.

A Time of Healing for the Whole Family

This journey is not only for Guy himself.

His family also endured unimaginable suffering during the long months of his captivity. Every day, they had to live with the torment of not knowing where he was, what was happening to him, whether he was alive, and whether he would ever return. They were forced to confront the worst possible fears and images in their minds, day after day.

Guy’s release is a source of great joy, but such suffering does not disappear overnight. His family also needs time to breathe, to rest, to laugh together, and to begin healing as a family.

That is why we want to bring Guy and his family — seven people in total — to Japan and give them a peaceful, restorative time together.

The Purpose of This Journey

This project is not simply about supporting a trip.

It is about giving rest, healing, joy and hope to a young man and his family who have endured unimaginable suffering.

Guy and his family are currently planning to come to Japan from late September.

Guy himself has said that he deeply wants to be in Japan during the important period in early October that marks both the anniversary of his abduction and the time of his release. Being in Israel around that time may be emotionally distressing for him. Japan, by contrast, is the place he longed to visit even while he was in captivity — a place he imagined he might one day see.

For Guy, Japan represents not trauma, but hope, beauty, imagination and a dream that survived even in captivity. That is why we want him to spend this deeply sensitive time here in Japan, in a place of peace, encouragement and love.

During their stay, we will not create an exhausting schedule. Guy’s recovery and the family’s peace will be the highest priority. We hope to provide time for rest in Tokyo, experiences connected to Japanese culture, anime and manga. In addition to Tokyo, trips to Osaka, Kyoto, Okinawa and Hokkaido are planned. Above all we want it to be a restorative time for the family to simply be together.

How Your Donation Will Help

Your donation will help cover the following costs:

Round-trip flights from Israel to Japan for seven people

Accommodation during their stay in Japan

Meals during their stay

Domestic travel, including possible travel between Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto

Airport transfers, trains, taxis and local transportation

Japanese cultural, anime and manga-related experiences

A contingency fund to support their health, recovery and special needs during the trip

Airfare prices change constantly, so we hope to raise the necessary funds as quickly as possible in order to secure flights.

Suggested Giving Levels

$100

Helps cover meals and local transportation for a day, for one person.

$300

Helps provide one day of meals for the family.

$500

Helps support domestic transportation or Japanese cultural experiences.

$1,000

Provides significant support toward accommodation costs.

$2,000 or more

Helps cover international airfare.

We also warmly welcome support from companies, organisations and groups, as well as in-kind sponsorships such as accommodation, meals, transportation or cultural experiences.

For donors who give $100 or more, we plan to offer a limited “Guy Gilboa in Japan” T-shirt as a small token of appreciation.

A separate English fundraising page will also be established for overseas donors who wish to support this project.

Supporters’ Gathering in Tokyo

During Guy and his family’s stay in Japan, we also plan to organise a gathering in Tokyo where supporters and donors can meet Guy and his family in person.

This will not simply be a reporting event. It will be a time for the people in Japan who prayed for and supported Guy to encourage him and his family directly, to welcome them with love, and to show them that Japan has remembered them.

Further details will be shared closer to the date.

Schedule

Guy and his family are currently scheduled to arrive in Japan on September 27, 2026, and remain until October 21, 2026.

In order to make this journey possible, we first need to secure their flights. Time is limited, and ticket prices may rise, so we are hoping to raise the necessary funds as soon as possible.

That is why your support is needed now.

Let Us Restore This Dream Together

We cannot erase the tragedy of October 7. We cannot undo the suffering that Guy and his family experienced.

But after suffering, we can help create something beautiful.

Those of us who prayed for him now have the opportunity to act — to welcome him and his family, to encourage them, and to help give them a time of healing and hope.

Please consider supporting this project to bring Guy Gilboa-Dalal and his family to Japan.